This invention relates to the manufacture of cables comprised of multistrands of metal wire. The invention relates particularly to the manufacture of wire cables that are resistant to corrosion. The invention is especially suited for the manufacture of brake cables and the like.
Metal wire cables will begin quickly to corrode in an outdoor environment without protection. Galvanization provides some protection but in particularly corrosive outdoor environments, such as environments providing frequent exposure to water and salt, more protection is needed. For this reason, automobile brake cables are commonly coated or covered with plastic. The plastic provides effective protection for a time, but the plastic eventually undergoes stress corrosion cracking due to the combined action of tensile stress and a corrosive environment. Typically, such stress corrosion cracking occurs within the time that it takes for an automobile to be driven about 50,000 miles. The cracking can cause sudden and unexpected failures in the brake cables. Better means of protecting such cables is needed.